■FOOTBALL
Seahawks fire coach Mora
The Seattle Seahawks fired coach Jim Mora on Friday after just one season, leaving the NFL team without a coach, general manager and president less than four years after they appeared in the Super Bowl. This season, Mora led his hometown team to only five wins in 16 games. “We’ve made a tough decision today,” Seahawks chief executive Tod Leiweke said. “It became apparent after conducting an extensive internal audit, that a new direction was needed to provide an opportunity for the organization to be successful.” Leiweke called Mora “truly a standup man, who gave his full effort to our franchise.” Seattle has a 9-23 record since its last playoff appearance in January 2008, after four consecutive NFC West division titles. GM and president Tim Ruskell took the initial fall for the Seahawks’ flop when he was fired on Dec. 3.
■BASEBALL
Seattle hold on to Gutierrez
The Seattle Mariners have agreed terms with Venezuelan outfielder Franklin Gutierrez on a four-year contract extension with a potential fifth season in 2014, the club said on Friday in a statement. “Franklin had a breakthrough season last year, but the exciting thing for us is that we believe he will only continue to get better,” Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said. The 26-year-old Gutierrez hit .283 (160x565) with 85 runs scored, 24 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 153 games with Seattle last year.
■BASEBALL
Boston sign Adrian Beltre
The Boston Red Sox signed free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre on Friday to a one-year contract with an option for the 2011 season. Beltre is guaranteed at least US$10 million this year, the team said on its Web site. The 30-year-old is coming off the least productive offensive season since his rookie campaign in 1998, having batted .265 with eight home runs and 44 RBI with Seattle. Beltre, considered one of the top defensive players in his position, has won two gold gloves over the last three years.
■ALPINE SKIING
Giorgio Rocca injures groin
Former World Cup slalom champion Giorgio Rocca has pulled a muscle in training and may be at risk of missing the Vancouver Olympics next month. The Italian Winter Sports Federation said Rocca hurt himself in the thigh-groin area while training in Domobianca. He was taken to a hospital in Milan for further tests and was to miss this weekend’s races in Adelboden, Switzerland. The 34-year-old Rocca entered his home Olympics in Turin four years ago as a heavy favorite for slalom gold, only to fall in the opening run. Rocca was hoping for one more shot at the Olympics, then had planned to retire after this season. He has 11 career World Cup victories and took the season slalom title in 2005-2006.
■ALPINE SKIING
Holaus fractures ankle
Austrian skiier Maria Holaus has been ruled out for the rest of the season after fracturing her right ankle during training for the World Cup downhill race in Haus im Ennstal, Austria, on Friday. The Austrian Ski Federation confirmed that the 26-year-old underwent surgery and will be hospitalized until Sunday. Holaus has three World Cup podium finishes including one victory to her name and was one of the Austrian women’s teams hopes for the Winter Olympics after the retirement of Renate Gotschl.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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